Policy and Guidelines Governing National Weather Service and Private Sector Roles (A-06)

4. Guidelines for Responding to Inquiries:

4. Guidelines for Responding to Inquiries. NWS offices need to consider the following
factors when determining whether or not responding to a request would violate the policy
governing the relationship between the NWS and the private sector weather services.

a. The ready availability of the information required to respond to the request.

b. The resources needed to prepare a response to a user's request.

c. The nature and origin of the request.

These factors are summarized in the following guidelines.

4.1 Requests from Government Agencies and Institutions. To the extent that resources
permit, the NWS will honor requests for information, data, and interpretation assistance from
government entities. In this instance, government refers to Federal, state,
county/parish/township, and municipal government entities. In some instances a field office
might refer such requests to other offices or to NOAA (e.g. the National Climatic Data Center
(NCDC), NESDIS, etc.) for handling.

4.2 Requests from the Public. The NWS will continue to respond to requests from the
public on a time and information available basis. This includes providing requesters with
interpretive information concerning NWS products. Typically, requesters should be referred
first to NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) broadcasts or to public media outlets that disseminate
NWS information provided by NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS) or the Family of
Services (FOS). Should the requester be dissatisfied with this approach, the information
should then be supplied as time and availability allow. Requests that require the preparation
of specialized forecast products or services should be referred to the private sector. Requests
for climatological information should be honored if the information is readily available and a
data search is not required (remember to charge appropriate fees for copying, etc.). If data
searches are required, the requester should be referred to the NCDC, the Regional Climate
Center, or the State Climatologist.

4.3 Requests from Private Industry and Businesses. If the request is for forecasts, data,
information, etc., that the NWS prepares in the normal course of operations, the request
should be honored on a time-available basis. This includes providing interpretive information
concerning NWS products if the requests are nonroutine. To the extent possible, refer
requesters to NWR, NWWS, or the FOS. If the request is routine or is for special services,
including requests for climatological data that require data searches, whether on a routine or
nonroutine basis, the requester should be referred to the private sector or, in the case of
climatological data, to NCDC. A simple request for copies of a particular month's worth of
local climatological data (LCD) available in that office could be honored at the fixed charge
governed by WSOM D-90.

4.4 Requests from the Media. The NWS will support the media to the fullest extent
possible given time and resource availability. This support assumes consistency with the
NWS policy regarding the phase-out of direct routine support to commercial radio stations
and newspapers. NWS will provide interviews regarding ongoing or potential severe weather
events and other weather situations that have the potential for becoming life threatening, for
causing property damage, or for causing significant disruption of public services or citizens,
normal activities. The NWS will also provide full support, on a time and resource available
basis, for "human interest" type weather stories that the media generates on a nonroutine basis.
NWS employees, whether on official time or off duty, continue to be prohibited from
appearing on the electronic media for the purpose of providing routine dissemination of day-
to-day weather information.

4.5 Referrals to the Private Sector. The NWS shall not provide free advertising (by
referral) for any private meteorologist or related company. A requester needing the services
of a private meteorologist (either based on the preceding guidelines or a specific inquiry)
should be referred to the telephone directory, the local chapter of the American
Meteorological Society, the National Weather Association, or the:

If a requester is referred to the offices or chapters of the American Meteorological Society or
the National Weather Association, the requester should be informed that these two
organizations actively certify those in the profession to provide various private sector services.